Tri-Cities weather in January

In January, Tri-Cities sees average daytime highs of 41°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 1.3 in of precipitation across 8.1 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 44°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 30 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tri-Cities's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tri-Cities's year-round climate.

Daytime high
41°
11th warmest
Overnight low
29°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.3 in
8.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:42 AM – 4:30 PM
Cloud cover
71%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
1.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.2
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 44°F by the end.

A typical January day in Tri-Cities reaches about 41°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°F and 53°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 7°F cooler than February.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13928
24028
34028
44028
54028
64028
74028
84028
94028
104028
114028
124028
134029
144129
154129
164129
174129
184129
194229
204229
214229
224229
234229
244329
254330
264330
274430
284430
294430
304430
314530

How January really feels in Tri-Cities

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Tri-Cities weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 29°1.38.12.38.80.2
Feb48° / 32°0.96.21.3102.0
Mar58° / 38°0.95.90.411.64.6
Apr68° / 44°0.74.9013.36.9
May77° / 52°0.74.5014.77.6
Jun84° / 58°0.52.8015.56.6
Jul93° / 64°0.11015.23.9
Aug92° / 62°0.210144.5
Sep81° / 54°0.31.8012.37.7
Oct66° / 44°0.95010.76.7
Nov50° / 35°1.17.30.79.22.4
Dec41° / 29°1.48.42.48.50.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43367
53367
63367
73268
83268
93169
103169
113070
123070
133070
143169
153268
163268
173367
183367
193466
203466
213565
223565
233664
243664
253664
263664
273664
283763
293763
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Tri-Cities gets around 1.3 in of rain and snow over 8.1 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 26% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12711
22711
32711
42710
52710
62710
72710
8279
9279
10289
11288
12288
13288
14287
15287
16287
17277
18276
19276
20266
21266
22266
23256
24256
25246
26245
27245
28235
29235
30235
31235

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 5 mph in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:46 AM to 7:30 AM, and sunset from 4:14 PM to 4:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.57:464:14
28.57:464:15
38.57:464:16
48.57:464:17
58.57:464:18
68.67:464:19
78.67:454:20
88.67:454:21
98.67:454:22
108.67:454:23
118.77:444:24
128.77:444:25
138.77:444:26
148.77:434:28
158.87:434:29
168.87:424:30
178.87:424:31
188.97:414:32
198.97:404:34
208.97:404:35
219.07:394:36
229.07:384:38
239.07:384:39
249.17:374:40
259.17:364:42
269.17:354:43
279.27:344:45
289.27:334:46
299.37:324:47
309.37:314:49
319.37:304:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.26 kWh/m² to a high of 7.85 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.48 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Tri-Cities?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tri-Cities.

What to pack for Tri-Cities in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Tri-Cities sees daytime highs around 41°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Tri-Cities in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tri-Cities peaks around July 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Tri-Cities in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Tri-Cities is worst in August — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 2026 µg/m³Dec 189 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun10Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tri-Cities?

Tri-Cities sits at 46.2°N, 119.2°W, 348 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kennewick, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around Tri-Cities

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Tri-Cities.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Tri-Cities has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 ft around an average of 400 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,677 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,894 ft.

The land around Tri-Cities is covered by artificial surfaces (32%) and grassland (28%) within 2 miles, grassland (38%) and cropland (28%) within 10 miles, and grassland (51%) and cropland (42%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
197 ft
10 miles
1,677 ft
50 miles
3,894 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kennewick 3.7 mi · Pasco 4.3 mi · Richland 5.0 mi · Hermiston 29 mi · Sunnyside 39 mi · Walla Walla 43 mi · Pendleton 44 mi · Moses Lake 62 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Tri-Cities (46.2454°, -119.1962°, elevation 348 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).